1945 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1945 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1945 college football season. In their eighth, non-consecutive season under head coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs compiled a 5–6 record (4–2 against conference opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 201 to 110. After a stretch in which the team lost six of seven games, SMU finished the season with three consecutive shutout victories over Arkansas (21-0), Baylor (34-0), and TCU (34-0).[1] The team played its home games at Ownby Stadium in the University Park suburb of Dallas.

1945 SMU Mustangs football
Conference	Southwest Conference
1945 record	5–6 (4–2 SWC)
Head coach	Matty Bell (8th season)
Home stadium	Ownby Stadium

1945 Southwest Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Texas $	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
SMU	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
TCU	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Rice	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Texas A&M	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Baylor	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Arkansas	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Three SMU players received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) and/or United Press (UP) on the 1945 All-Southwest Conference football team: back Doak Walker (AP-1, UP-1); end Gene Wilson (AP-1, UP-1); and tackle Tom Dean (AP-1, UP-1).[2][3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 22	Lackland Field	Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	W 51–0
September 29	at Corpus Christi NAS	Corpus Christi, TX	L 7–22
October 6	Missouri	Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	L 7–10
October 12	at No. 14 Oklahoma State	Taft Stadium Oklahoma City, OK	L 12–26
October 20	Rice	Ownby Stadium University Park, TX (rivalry)	W 21–18
October 27	at Tulane	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	L 7–19
November 3	Texas	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 7–12
November 10	at Texas A&M	Kyle Field College Station, TX	L 0–3
November 17	Arkansas	Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	W 21–0
November 24	Baylor	Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	W 34–0
December 1	at TCU	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX (rivalry)	W 34–0
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1945 SMU Mustangs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
2. "AP 1945 First Team". The Paris News. December 10, 1945. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "All-Southwest Conference". The Shreveport Times. December 6, 1945. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.